Half-Blood Prince Uberwank: Chapter 12, Silver and Opals

[fera_festiva]

This town
Is coming like a ghost town
All the clubs have been closed down
This place
Is coming like a ghost town
Bands won't play no more
(Too much fighting on the dance floor)

-The Specials, "Ghost Town"

Comments

[nuclearsugars]

For fuck's sake, Tonks. I know, I know, you're pining for the love of a gay werewolf about twice your age who refuses to stick you one, but the answer to that is to listen to "Creep" by Radiohead a bunch of times, then go out with your friends and get arseholed on cheap cocktails, massacre "I Will Survive" at the karaoke, and - in your specific case - to explore your lesbian tendencies.

THIS. THIS SO HARD.

[fera_festiva]

The Potter books require moar lesbians in general IMO - but I am particularly disappointed in Tonks. SHE FAILED US, MAN, SHE FAILED US

[minnow_53]

I mean, Fred and George also think things like drug rape and forced abortion and terrorist attacks are funny, don't they?

:D:D:D

The possibility that the ornate necklace might have been intended for a woman is never advanced, which I suspect says something about the importance of women - or at least the gender of important characters - in the series, but I don't have the energy to unpack it.

More :D. It says more about the general gayness, doesn't it? Which even JKR won't acknowledge. Plus, opals are unlucky if you're not born in October.

Oh, and thanks for linking the Monty Python sketch, which I haven't seen for years. It wears well. Better than HPB, though we won't go into that one.

As usual, I have great love for this installment, especially after seeing the movie. With the snow and all.

[fera_festiva]

Ooh, I hadn't thought of opals being unlucky - I suppose she made it an opal necklace on purpose, then. Although apparently opals are lucky if they're given as a gift (well, according to wikipedia, although wikipedia also claims Gordon the Gopher is now an alcoholic), which I guess raises a series of further nitpicky questions... XD

Thank you, anyway; as may be apparent I struggled with this one, so I'm glad it brought some enjoyment. ♥

[minnow_53]

as may be apparent I struggled with this one

*surprised* No, it's not apparent at all! It reads beautifully, and is, as always, full of both insight and lols. ♥

Although apparently opals are lucky if they're given as a gift

I'm interested to hear that. A few years ago, my mother brought me opals from Australia, and I was really amazed, as she's the most superstitious person on earth. I didn't say anything, though! But they're shoved to the back of a drawer, and maybe I should get them out now.

[fera_festiva]

Well (again, according to wikipedia) opals are Australia's national gemstone, so I guess the bad luck doesn't count there. Or maybe being upside-down turns it into good luck or something? :D

*uses bear icon*

[fera_festiva]

1. Yes, I guess so. I dunno, I always thought Hermione was a bit too level-headed for that type of irrational jealousy, but then again the whole point is that it's irrational. So yeah.

2. Good point. I'm being really rather half-arsed in my analysis here (well, the book is half-arsed, so...). And, as you say, Draco is not a killer. (But does he have the skin of one?)

[shyfoxling]

It isn't until Hermione brings up the use of a levitation spell by the death eaters at the quidditch world cup that Harry is prepared to concede that this spell might not be all rainbows and unicorns, and even then, Ron proceeds to attempt to justify it by claiming said death eaters were "abusing" the spell.

Although it's possible they might not even have been using it; the Roberts family were being floated along upright at first, which looks more like Mobilicorpus to me, and then when Mrs Roberts was turned upside down, it's described as her being "rotated" and not the sudden jerk up by the ankles that is characteristic of Levicorpus. It could be, but we don't really know.

(Wow, what a dull, canon-detail-laden comment. I'm just so much fun at parties, aren't I?)

[fera_festiva]

No no, that's an excellent point - aren't they supposed to be spinning about eerily? (A bit like Katie, in fact?) I guess that levitation spells are evil if you rotate slowly, and funny/harmless if you jerk into the air.

[shyfoxling]

It turns out I was misremembering. The word is in fact "flipped", not "rotated", although what they're doing beforehand certainly looks a lot more like Mobilicorpus (compare it to the description of Severus being so moved by Sirius in PoA -- "As though invisible strings were tied to Snape’s wrists, neck and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, like a grotesque puppet" -- although here the people are conscious and struggling):

High above them, floating along in mid-air, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air

[fera_festiva]

Hahahahahaha - you show a dedication that goes far beyond mine. XD

Anyway. It's really interesting to compare those passages. There's something in the language that suggests to me it isn't Levicorpus being used on the Robertses - as you say, all the puppet stuff and the lolling about implies Mobilicorpus. And in any case, JKR tends to invent Potterverse spells as she needs them for the story, which suggests that she didn't write that scene with Levicorpus in mind, if that makes sense.

Although one of the things that makes me unsure is that I'm not sure whether, in the context of the story, Levicorpus is meant to be "dark" or not - I'm not sure what JKR is going for here. I think having an idea would help me decide, you know? :-/

[matt_writer]

the importance of women - or at least the gender of important characters - in the series
McGo should totally have been the main character! She could pull off the whole sleuth thing, and would turn the entire series into an amazingly steampunk tale with a superabondance of flying motorcycles, I'm sure. (Wearing a chainmail bikini and aviator glasses, at the same time, should most definitely be in style.)

[fera_festiva]

That would officially be awesome. *adds McG to the to-be-drawn-in-steampunk-style list* In the meantime, since it was your idea there'd better be fic... XD

[matt_writer]

You know, I've already talked to potterfreak0515 to see whether she'd beta it - she would - since I'm thinking of making another chaptered fic. 'cause it'd be that awesome! XD